Terminal fastener



o. H. VALENTINE, JR., EIAL April 14, 1959 TERMINAL FASTENER 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 6, 1956 INVENTORS.

BY gfV/EIWWJH TTORNEY? M April 14, 1959 o. H. VALEliTlNE, JR, ETAL2,881,498 TERMINAL FASTENER I Filed July 6, i956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2mvam'ols: Ol y/a5 H. VALENTINE JP.

mesw Afman mw TTORNE United States Patent TERMINAL FAS'IZENER Orville H.Valentine, Jr., Chicago, and Kathryn'K. Chelminski, .Hinsdale,.Ill.,'assignorsto Ethicon, .Inc., a corporation of New Jersey ApplicationJuly '6, 1956, Serial No. 596,325 Claims. ;(Cl. 24- 130) This inventionrelates to a terminal fastener for material in ribbon form andparticularly relatesto a terminal fastener for ribbons of connectivetissue, obtained by longitudinally slitting .the submucosal layer ofsheet in testines and the submucosal and'serosal layers of bovineintestines, which are usedin the manufacture of surgical catgut suturesand ligatures.

The practice up to the present time was to tie each end of a ribbon ofconnective tissue, or two or three combined ribbons, depending on thesize of the suture or ligature to be made, to a separate cotton cordloop. The ribbons, which vary in length from about four to abouttwenty-two feet, were given a twist varying from four and one-half tosix turnsper inch. In twistingthe ribbons, one cotton loop was attachedto an immobile hook and the other cotton'loop was attached to a hookwhich could be rotated to apply the desired number of twists to theribbons. The ribbons were moist when the twist was applied and thestrands which were obtained were dried at constant temperature andhumidity while under a slight tension. The cotton cord loops were cutaway and the dried strands then converted to usable surgical catgutsutures or ligatures by a sequence of operations including; polishing toa uniform diameter throughout, cutting into approximately five footlengths, winding on a reel, sterilizing, and hermetically sealing in acontainer such .as a ,glass tube or plastic .envelope with a tubingfluid. Although the use of the cotton cord loops as terminal fastenersin the process of making surgical .catgut sutures and ligatures has beenpracticed for a number of years, it has been recognized'that making thetie to the cotton cord loop required a substantial portion of theribbons and was ,time-consuming.'

It has now been discovered that the difiiculties inherent in the use ofthe cotton cord "loop as a terminal fastener for ribbons andparticularly for ribbons -of-'connective tissue may be overcome by theuse of the device of this invention which is in the nature of a terminalfastener designed so that one or more ribbons may be readily and quicklyattached thereto with the use of a minimum amount of the ribbons.

The device of this invention will now be described with reference to thedrawings in which,

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a terminal fastener showing themanner in which the end of a ribbon is turned about the head of thedevice;

Figure 2 is a view in perspective showing the configuration assumed by aribbon attached to the head of the terminal fastener;

Figure 3 is a top view of the terminal fastener;

Figure 4 is a side plan view of the terminal fastener;

Figure 5 is a bottom view of the terminal fastener;

Figure 6 is an end view of the terminal fastener showing the relation ofthe driving tangs to the holding ring;

Figure 7 is an end View of the terminal fastener along the line 77 ofFigure 4 taken in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 8 is a view in section of the terminal fastener along the line8-8 of Figure 4 taken in-the direction .of the arrows; i i

Figure '9 is .a .view in vperspective showing the hookof an adapter forthe holding Irin'gand driving .tangs of the terminal fastener and ahiddenYview-ofthe spinning hook of .the adapter; s Y

Figure 10 is a top view .of the adapter, part being broken away, along.the line 10-10 of Figure 9 taken invthe direction of the arrows andshowing asegment of the holding ring of the terminal fastener locked inposition-in the adapter;

' Figure .11 is a view similar :to that of Figure 10 but showing a.segment'of .the holding ringof the terminal fastener enteringtheloeking means of the adapter;

Figure .112 is a partial plan view alongtheline 12-112 I of .Figure 10taken inlthe :di r'ection .of the arrows .and

showing the relation of the vdrivingtangs ofthe terminal fastener .tothe locking meansof the adapter.

In order to describe particularity the device of this invention, thevarious features of the terminalfastener audits modifications aredescribed in detail below with reference to the drawings in which likenumbers refer to like parts. I

The structural details of the terminal fastener and the manner in whicha ribbon or ribbons are attached thereto areshown'in Figures V1 .to 8inclusive. The structuraldetails of an adapter to which the terminalfastener is attached in order to mechanically rotate the terminalfastener and provide a twist in the ribbons attached theretois .showninFigures 9 to 12 inclusive.

Referring to Figures 1 to .8 inclusive in which the terminal fastener isreferred to generally at 1, driving tangs 3 are positioned at one sideofholding ring 5and the tieing head towhich a ribbon or ribbons isattached is positioned on the other side "of the holding ring. Thetieing head has an alignment cap 7 with rear retaining groove-9 andfront retaining groove 11 positioned thereunder. Grooves 9 and 11 arepositioned such that a straight line drawn through the center of thegrooves would pass through the center of the holding ring and midwaybetween the driving tangs. Binding head 15 is positioned below thealignment cap and retaining grooves and connected with the latter by'web 13. In the preferred form, the web has :a thickness less than thatof the alignment cap and binding head, the thickness of the latter andthe holding .ring being substantially the same. The binding head isprovided with a rear .nip 17 and .a front nip 19, the shapeof the frontand rear nips being best illustrated [in Figures 5, 7 and 8 which showthe preferred embodiment in which opposite segments of the sides of thenips are cut away so that the opposed faces are in the same plane andV-shaped. In another embodiment, the edges of the front and rear nips ofthe binding head are beveled on each side.

In using the terminal fastener, an operator positions the fastener in afixture which holds it by the ring and the tangs with one hand and withthe other hand grasps one or more ribbons. The ribbon end or ends arethen turned about one side of the alignment cap in the direction of theholding ring, around the rear retaining groove along the other side ofthe alignment cap, around the front retaining groove, diagonally acrossthe web, through the rear nip and finally through the front nip. Themanner in which a ribbon 2 is attached to the terminal fastener isillustrated in Figure 1, and the manner in which the front nip holds aribbon is illustrated in Figure 8. The configuration taken by a ribbonattached to the terminal fastener is illustrated in Figure 2. The otherend of the ribbon or ribbons are attached to a second terminal fastenerin the same manner.

Referring to Figures 9 to 12 inclusive, the holding ring of the terminalfastener is shown positioned in bold ing book 23 of the hook adapter 21and held by locking bar 25. The driving tangs, which are integral withthe holding ring of the terminal fastener, are positioned on either sideof the locking bar. The locking bar is integrally attached to plunger 27and is held in place by means of spring'29. Hook 31 may be removed fromthe hook adapter by withdrawing pin 33. In order to insert the terminalfastener in the hook adapted, the segment of the holding ring betweenthe driving tangs is pushed against the locking bar thereby forcing thelocking bar away from the holding hook of the hook adapter which enablesthe holding ring to slide along the locking bar and into the properposition in the holding hook of the hook adapter. The locking bar thenholds the holding ring of the terminal fastener firmly in position. Themethod of positioning the terminal fastener in the hook adapter is bestillustrated in Figure '11. The end of hook 31 of the hook adapter, shownbroken away in Figures 9 to 12 inclusive, is attached to rotationpropelling means, not shown, and the desired amount of twist is put in aribbon or ribbons attached at each end to a terminal fastener byrotating the hook adapter, the terminal fastener at one end being fixedin a manner to prevent rotation. The strands obtained in this manner aresubjected to the same sequence of steps described above to provideusable surgical catgut sutures and ligatures.

The terminal fastener may be fabricated of any suitable plastic. ormetal; particularly suitable plastics are polystyrene and nylon.Stainless steel is the preferred metal.

A terminal fastener and the method and apparatus by which it is used hasbeen particularly described with respect to its use in the manufactureof surgical catgut sutures and ligatures from ribbons of connectivetissue, such as are obtained from the submucosal layer of sheepintestines and the submucosal and serosal layers of beef intestines, andthe invention directed to the terminal fastener has been described withparticular reference to specific embodiments; accordingly, it is to beunderstood that the invention is not to be limited to its specificaspects and details but it is to be construed broadly and restrictedsolely by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A terminal fastener for holding an end of at least one ribbon,comprising a holding ring with driving tangs on one side and a tieinghead diametrically opposed therealignment cap and a web extendingbetween and connecting the alignment cap and the binding head.

2. A terminal fastener for holding an end of at least one ribbon ofconnective tissue, comprising a holding ring with driving tangs on oneside and a tieing head diametrically opposed thereto, the said tieinghead having an alignment cap and retaining grooves positioned below thealignment cap and in alignment with the center of the holding ring, abinding head having front and rear nips positioned below the alignmentcap and a web extending between and connecting the alignment cap and thebinding head, the web having a thickness less than that of the alignmentcap and binding head.

3. A terminal fastener for holding an end of at least one ribbon ofconnective tissue, comprising a holding ring with driving tangs on oneside and a tieing head diametrically opposed thereto, the said tieinghead having an alignment cap and retaining grooves positioned below thealignment cap and in alignment with the center of the holding ring, abinding head having front and rear V-shaped nips positioned below thealignment cap and a web extending between and connecting the alignmentcap and the binding head.

ing an alignment cap and retaining grooves positioned below thealignment cap and in alignment with the center of the holding ring, abinding head having front and rear nips with opposed, V-shaped faces inthe same plane positioned below the alignment cap and a web extendingbetween the connecting and alignment cap and the binding head.

5. A terminal fastener for holding an end of at least one ribbon ofconnective tissue, comprising a holding ring with drivingtangs on oneside and a tieing head diametrically opposed thereto, the said tieinghead having an alignto, the said tieing head having an alignment cap andretarding grooves positioned below the alignment cap and in alignmentwith the center of the holding ring, a bindmg head having front and rearnips positioned below the ment cap and retaining grooves positionedbelow the alignment cap and in alignment with the center of the holdingring, a binding head having front and rear nips with opposed, V-shapedfaces in the same plane positioned below the alignment cap and a webextending between the alignment 'cap and the binding head, the webhaving a thickness less than that of the alignment cap and binding head.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS FranceMar. 19, 1906 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTIONPatent No. 2,881,498 April 14, 1959 Orville H. Valentine, Jr.', et al.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specificationof the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the saidLetters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 3, line 51, for "retarding" read retaining column 4, line 33, for"the connecting and" read and connecting the Signed and sealed this 28thday of July 1959.

(SEAL) Attest: KARL H. XH ROBERT c. WATSON Attesting OfficerCommissioner of Patents

